Writing & Documenting in APA

Writing & Documenting in APA A Concise Guide for GU Students

Part One: Formatting in APA Style

Tanya A. Klatt, MA; Timothy P. Goss, MA;

and Alexander V. Ames, Ph.D

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What is APA? The term APA refers to a style of writing, including formatting, documentation of sources, tone,

organization of ideas, and so on, as determined by the American Psychological Association. For many

students, the very idea of having to learn APA, no less to write in that style, is terrifying. We understand

that. Most of us felt the same way when we encountered one of these writing styles for the first time. That

is exactly what we are doing here. There are several different styles of documentation available to the

academic writer (e.g. MLA, Chicago, etc.), depending upon his or her field of study. Here at Grantham,

we use the APA style because it best fits the disciplinary needs of most of our degree programs.

We use APA for the following reasons:

1. APA standardizes the way documents appear. For most assignments, teachers evaluate ideas, not

one’s skills in document design. We use APA to be fair.

2. APA defines the way we should give credit to our sources. We use APA to be transparent.

3. APA helps the organization of the material in a document. If we all present our information in the

same way, our readers can engage with our ideas more quickly and more completely. We use

APA to be efficient and thorough (Goss, 2012, para. 9).

4. APA is the accepted standard style or, at least, an appropriate style for the fields of study and

professions aligned with the overwhelming majority of our degree programs. We use APA to

meet industry standards.

5. APA is our established University-wide style because settling on a single style allows us--

students, faculty, and administrators--to avoid any confusion resulting from using a variety of

styles. We use APA to remain consistent.

Think Monopoly.

Any board game has its own specific rules that everyone who plays has to follow. APA, while arguably

more important than a simple board game, is still just that: a game; one with specific rules to follow and

certain rewards and penalties for following or not following those rules. This guide has been put together

to help alleviate some of the fear you may have about APA by defining the parameters of the APA

environment and by clearly spelling out the way this game works.

Our goal is not to make you APA experts in the short time we have to work together. These things take

time to perfect, so you should not expect to learn everything right away. Our goal is instead to make you

aware of the basic skills you need to format and write an APA style paper, and to give you the knowledge

to explain some basic principles of APA should you run across the topic in a conversation (if this

happens, you may need to attend better parties). Learning APA will help you to write better academic

papers by helping you to work with the ideas of others while avoiding plagiarism and by helping to

organize your ideas more clearly and concisely so they are more easily received by your readers.

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Using this Guide

Before you get started learning APA, you’ll need to know how to get the most out of this guide

Throughout your courses, you will see a list of things you need to read and write in order complete the

work for that week. Because each assignment may cause you to call on a different set of writing skills, it

may be a good idea to refer to this guide frequently for detailed information concerning the various

components of the APA style.

This guide has been set into four parts: 1. Formatting in APA Style; 2. Plagiarism; 3. Academic Tone,

Documenting and Citing; and 4. Proofreading, APA and the Internet. Each of these parts build on the

information found in the previous parts, but they have also been designed to work as individual reference

guides. It is a good idea to read each part in succession, and then reference the work as needed.

We hope this helps you throughout your education here at Grantham University.

*Note that the written materials for this guide are instructional. Though the writers of this course took

measures to mirror academic tone when applicable and to strictly follow APA guidelines, the purpose

and audience for this course demanded that the writers approached these lessons in a broader format.

**This guide follows the standardized APA rules set forth in The Publication Manual of the American

Psychological Association, (6th ed.).

Formatting in APA style

Every paper that is submitted for grading through a writing assignment drop box should be formatted

according to APA style. The following example paper illustrates how a properly formatted paper should

look.

To help simplify the process, we have placed an APA Template in the Course Resources folder to help

you when formatting your work in APA style.

Terms to know: If you are unfamiliar with these terms please review them in the Glossary.

flush left: flush right

hanging indent

running head /page header

tab

title block

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Title Page

All words on the page,

including the Header

Section, are to be in

Times New Roman,

12pt font.

Running heads are flush

left.

Page numbers are flush

right.

The running head is an

abbreviated title (no

more than 50

characters, or five

words). The title in the

Header Section should

be in ALL CAPS.

The Title Block should

be centered; spaced two

inches below the

bottom of the Header

Section; and include a

full title, your name,

and Grantham

University. This is all

of the information you

should include on the

title page.

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Abstract

Note that an abstract is

generally not required

for shorter academic

papers. Ask your

instructor if you are

not sure whether or not

to include one.

Abstracts are short

summaries of the

following paper. They

are meant to be a

research tool that helps

potential readers know

if the ideas in the paper

are something they

could use in their own

work.

These abstracts are

generally limited to

150-250 words.

They should present an

accurate, non-

evaluative, concise

summary of your

paper.

The personal opinion

of the author is strictly

prohibited in abstracts.

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Body Paragraph # one

Body paragraphs

start on a new

page.

Running head and

numbers continue,

but the words

Running head, no

longer appear.

The title is

centered on top of

the first paragraph.

Text should be

justified flush left.

The right margin

should remain

“ragged.”

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Body Paragraph # two

All margins in the

document should

be set to one inch.

The beginning of

each paragraph is

indented one tab.

All paragraphs in

the document

should be double-

spaced without

extra spacing

between

paragraphs.

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Body Paragraph # three

Papers with a page

requirement rather

than a word

requirement only

count the body

pages. This paper,

though six pages in

length, would only

account for a two

and one-half page

paper.

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References Page

The References page is

on its own page.

The page should

always be titled

“References” (without

quotation marks) and

should be center

justified. *Note: Even

if only one reference is

used, the title of this

page is still plural.

Citations are double

spaced and listed in

alphabetical order.

Opposite to the body

paragraphs, the first

line of each citation is

flush left, while a

hanging indent is used

for each following line

of the citation.

All citations should be

organized in APA 6th

edition format.

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References

American Psychological Association. (2010). The publication manual of the American Psychological

Association, (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association

Goss, T. P. (2012). Guide to APA: Some perspective, please. [Weblog]. Retrieved from

http://blog.grantham.edu/blog/bid/119294/Guide-to-APA-Style-Some-Perspective-

Please.

Goss, T. P., Klatt, T. A., & Ames, A. V. (2012). How I write: A guide to academic writing.

Kansas City, MO: Grantham University Press.

© Grantham University 2012

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Writing & Documenting in APA A Concise Guide for GU Students

Part Two: Avoiding Plagiarism

Tanya A. Klatt, MA; Timothy P. Goss, MA;

and Alexander V. Ames, Ph.D

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What is Plagiarism?

According to the Grantham University Catalog and Student Handbook (2012): “plagiarism is

presenting the ideas or work of others (including other students) as his/her original work”

(“Plagiarism,” p. 46). When we do this, we are guilty of cheating. Blatant plagiarism is the same

as looking at someone else’s paper during an exam and stealing their answers. Plagiarism is,

above and beyond all other things, the worst academic crime one can commit. Being found guilty

of plagiarism can cause one to fail an assignment, fail a class, or be kicked out of school.

So why do we not simply call plagiarism cheating?

Unfortunately, plagiarism is not just about cheating. If it were, we would simply say, “don’t

cheat” and then deal with those students who purposefully broke the rules, but there is more to

the story.

Plagiarism can also occur when we fail to cite our sources properly or if we rely too heavily on

the work of others. As a college student, you will be expected to work with the ideas and words

of others, but you will also be expected to learn how to give the necessary credit in the right way.

You will be expected to, in most cases, develop and present your own words and ideas, and only

use other people to enhance what you are saying, not to dictate what you are saying.

To put the nature of writing academically into perspective, you need to know that a paper is a

written document that demonstrates what you think and know about a topic, and it shows the

time you have spent thinking about, analyzing, interacting with, and synthesizing the ideas of

others who stand as experts in the field of study.

A paper is a reflection of your ideas, not a reflection of what you have read.

We give these experts credit through in-text and References page documentation. We will talk

more about that as we move forward in the class, but it is never too early to start thinking about

this process. We cite our sources for two reasons: First, because the author worked to develop his

or her own ideas, and it is unethical to steal those ideas; second, and possibly the more important

of our reasons, we identify our sources so our readers can engage in the same research we did,

should they choose to, and be better able to understand what we are saying.

If you would like to understand more about plagiarism so you can avoid it in your future work,

the following tutorial should help you stay on the right path.

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Avoiding Plagiarism Terms to Know: If you are unfamiliar with these terms please review them in the Glossary.

block quotation

copyright

direct quotation

paraphrase

summary

plagiarism

To be more specific, plagiarism includes:

a. Copying word-for-word from the web or other source and using it in your paper or

discussion forum post as “your” writing.

b. Paraphrasing from a source without giving credit.

c. Paraphrasing incorrectly even if you provided a citation. Ensure that no more than

three words in a row match the source document and that your sentence organization

doesn’t mirror the original document.

.

Types of Plagiarism

When the subject of plagiarism comes up, students will often respond with: “What if the

plagiarism was unintentional?” This is a good question. While your instructors will work to help

you improve your citation skills, it is ultimately your responsibility to learn to avoid these

unintentional errors. Still, we do make a distinction between types of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is presenting the ideas or work of others (including other students) as

his/her original work. A student is required to acknowledge all sources of submitted

work. Specifically, each student must acknowledge direct quotations, paraphrases,

ideas, figures, tables, charts, statistics, images, photographs, source codes, circuits,

and other sources. Papers and other materials either given to the student or obtained

otherwise, if submitted as the work of anyone except the source, constitute a

violation of the code of conduct. (“Plagiarism,” 2012, p. 46)

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Blatant Plagiarism: Blatant plagiarism occurs when a student presents a piece of writing that

has very little original student work. These papers are often pieced together from several online

sources or they match another piece of writing word-for-word. This type of plagiarism is blatant;

it is cheating and therefore cannot be accepted for credit and is subject to punitive action. Do not,

under any circumstances, turn in a piece of writing that is not your own work. If you are caught,

you will not like the results.

Improper Documentation: Improper documentation happens when a student paper has several

documentation errors that result in plagiarism, but most of the paper was authored by the student.

This usually happens when students are in a rush, haven’t read the course material, or they didn’t

understand the rules for APA style. Many students might consider theses errors to be

unintentional, but managing time, reading the course material, and asking for clarification on

assignments are all student responsibilities. Learning how and when to cite is therefore,

incredibly important. Until you are completely comfortable with the process:

1. Review the Documentation Section of this APA guide.

2. Ask your instructor for clarification

3. Submit your paper to the Writing Center for review.

4. Run your paper through a plagiarism checker.

5. If you don’t have time to do the above, ask your instructor for a lesson extension. It is

better to request more time than to submit a document with errors.

How do I give credit to a source?

You must include a citation after each quote or paraphrased passage. You must also have a

References page attached to the end of your paper. The citation in text should always pair with a

citation in the reference page. If you have unmatched citations in either the body of your text or

the reference page, your instructor may suspect plagiarism.

When we work with the ideas or creations of others, we have to document where we found our

information. We do this for two reasons:

1. Not to do so is cheating.

1. So we can track information to its original source to verify its validity and expand our

knowledge on the subject.

Buying, purchasing, copying, or piece-mailing the work of others and turning it in as your own

is NOT unintentional plagiarism.

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If we were to write the following passage, for example, we would need to cite within the text of

our paper:

We’ve cited in the text, but we’re not done yet; now we have to put together our References

page:

Notice how the in-text citations within the text are paired with the citations in the References

page. In-texts citations are like tabs in the text. If we are reading the above text, for instance, and

we want to know more about what we are reading, we can simply find the in-text citation,

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Benson, for example, and then find the full citation in the References page. That way, we can

look up the original author, track the progression of this idea, verify its validity, and find out

more about the topic.

As writers, we make choices about what to add into our work, and what to leave out. By

providing our sources, we don’t just give the proper credit to those who informed our work, we

also are able to afford our readers the opportunity to experience the things we could not fit into

our paper.

*Note that the passages in the above examples are for illustrative purposes only. These are not

real sources and do not reflect actual facts.

Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism:

1. If you quote from a source you need an in-text citation and a work-cited entry.

2. Anything copied word-for-word must be inside of quotation marks.

3. If you paraphrase from your source, you need an in-text citation and a References page

entry.

4. If you have a lengthy quote (forty words or more), according to APA guidelines, you

will need to indent it as a block quotation. Be careful with long quotations. Anything

more than 20% of your paper in quotations can be counted as plagiarism. Remember that

quotes and paraphrased material should support your writing, not take it over.

5. Quotes and paraphrasing must be properly integrated into your paper. An entire

paragraph of paraphrased material might set off a plagiarism checker. Once again, your

researched material should play a supporting role and not a lead role. Never produce a

paragraph that is 100% quoted or cited material.

6. You should never cut-and-paste an online paper or article and submit it as your work.

This is blatant plagiarism and it will be reported to the university for possible punitive

action.

7. Be careful when using quoted material found inside of your source (secondary

sources). If you want to use the quotation, it is good practice to search for the original

article online and cite the original work. Not citing a secondary source properly can red-

flag your paper for plagiarism. If you use quoted material from another source, cite the

primary source and add the word In to the citation: (In Greives, 2004).

8. Do not use papers you have written for other classes or published papers. This

includes papers you submitted on a blog or anywhere else on the Internet. Submitting

previously written material for a lesson in class is called self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism

is prohibited at Grantham University.

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9. Never post any content (lessons, lesson directions, tests, etc) anywhere on the Internet

as this violates copyright laws. All of the lessons, tests, and texts found in GLIFE and

your ANGEL courses are copyrighted by Grantham University. Students do not have

permission to paste or upload Grantham material on the web - period. If a student is

found to have posted Grantham materials (lessons, questions, tests, etc) on the Internet

this could lead to expulsion from the University and serious legal trouble. Violating

copyright law is not just an academic blunder, it is also a crime.

10. Never cut and paste word-for-word material into your document with the intention of

applying proper documentation later. Always write first and add your research later. Do

not take short cuts with your documentation. Make 3x5 note cards or keep a list

documenting the raw data on every article you think you may use, along with the passage

you plan to either directly quote or paraphrase.

A Visual Guide to Help Avoid Plagiarism

(Komm, 2012)

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References

Komm, A. (2012). Avoiding plagiarism flow chart. Grantham University, Kansas City, MO.

Plagiarism. (2012). In Grantham University: University catalog and student handbook.

Retrieved from http://www.grantham.edu/public_media/PDF-University-Catalog-

2012.pdf

© Grantham University 2012

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Writing & Documenting in APA A Concise Guide for GU Students

Part Three: Academic Tone, Documentation, and Citing

Tanya A. Klatt, MA; Timothy P. Goss, MA;

and Alexander V. Ames, Ph.D

19

Academic Tone and APA Terms to Know: If you are unfamiliar with these terms, please review them in the Glossary.

point of view

first person

second person

third person

contractions

sexist language

cliches

While not everything you will be asked to write will follow strict academic tone, it is important to get to

know the difference between writing in a personal environment, a professional environment, and in the

academic environment (i.e. a University classroom, including an online classroom such as this).

Throughout the course, you see a great deal of attention paid to the importance of taking your reader into

account. In no situation, perhaps, is this more true than when one is writing for an academic (i.e.

scholarly) audience, including adhering to APA style.

Note the differences in style and tone in the following examples. In each instance, each of the three

statements communicates more or less the same idea (to a greater or lesser extent), but does so in a style

and with a tone distinguishing it from the other statements

Example One:

Personal

I’m going to have to cancel the game tonight. It’s raining cats and dogs and the field is

underwater. We’ll pick this up next week.

Professional

Due to excessive water on the field caused by the rain, the employee softball game will be

canceled tonight. Per company policy, we will reschedule the game for next week.

Academic

Weather delays are one of the few drawbacks for outdoor sports. Often, rain causes games to be

either delayed or rescheduled. Such were the circumstances in the case of the game originally

scheduled for this evening, which will have to be rescheduled due to a rainfall of more than four

inches within the last twenty-four hours.

Example Two:

Personal:

You really shouldn’t wear such revealing clothing at work. It’s distracting and you might get sent

home or fired.

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Professional:

All employees at DCH Lenders should wear appropriate clothing while working. Appropriate

clothing guidelines are set forth in the employee handbook and published on the company

website.

Academic:

Professionals should refer to established company policies when choosing their work attire.

Many corporations require traditional, formal, attire of their employees in order to positively

impress the public, specifically clients and potential clients, and to minimize distractions to their

employees in the workplace. DCH Lenders, for example, sets specific dress codes for their

employees and communicate those policies through their employee handbook and company

website.

Notice the increased formality of the Professional style in comparison with the Personal style. The

professionally styled text is matter of fact, reading almost as if it were a legal document. Now, compare

both the examples of the Professional and Personal style with the examples of Academic style. What

differences do you notice? Like the examples of the Professional style, the Academic style is more formal

than the personal, and more detailed and precise than either the Personal or Professional style.

The examples of the Personal style may rely upon a degree of familiarity between writer and reader,

which allows for merely suggestive statements as “you really shouldn’t wear such revealing clothing at

work …” (e.g. what qualifies as “revealing?”). The Professional style may be concise in its own, direct,

way (e.g. statements may read as pronouncements because --in the case of the dress code--the author is

simply issuing employees a directive, not trying to convince them of the justice of the dress code in

question). Contrastingly, the examples of the Academic style are not only formal in tone, they are far

more detailed than those of the other styles because they must present the academic reader with precise

evidence of the claims being made.

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Documentation: Overview Terms to Know: If you are unfamiliar with these terms please review them in the Glossary.

attributive tag

citation

documentation

in-text citation

source

When utilizing ideas other than your own in a document of your own authorship, whether it is a chapter

from your Grantham text, a quote from an article you have found through your research, or a personal

interview, always attribute those ideas to their authors (i.e you always need to do the following):

● Integrate the borrowed idea with your original ideas. This is done by using attributive tags

(also known as signal phrases).

● Provide an in-text citation. This means that you need to include an abbreviated citation of your

source material in the body of your paper. In-text citations should always appear after the

borrowed the material and not at the end of each paragraph. This signals to the reader that what

they just read was borrowed material and the in-text citation will give them the information they

need to find that particular source in the reference page.

● Create a full list of the research sources used at the end of the paper. This is an alphabetized

list that provides the reader with the full data they need to located the article. A basic citation will

include the following: authors name, source title, and the full publication information.

We will discuss how we do these three things throughout this guide. Our goal, in terms of documentation,

is to help you construct a basic understanding of how and where to cite your sources, so that this process

becomes a natural step in your writing process and so it will not be so difficult to do in your later

coursework.

Here at Grantham University you will be expected to adhere to APA style. With that in mind, anytime a

source is used in a paper an in-text citation, a References page is needed to give credit to the author of the

original idea.

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Basic APA Constructions Each reference or source within an APA-style paper appears in two places: 1). within the text following a

quotation, summarized, or paraphrased passage, and 2). in a References page. In-text citations (aka.

parenthetical citations) show what material is being used at what point within the text, while References

page citations show where that reference or source can be found externally.

APA citations are constructed using a basic format:

In-Text Citations

When using a source or reference, you need to create an in-text citation that includes three basic elements:

The author’s or authors’ last names—if no author, use the first five or fewer words of the title of

the source. Encase the title in quotation marks.

The year of publication—if no year, use the letters n.d. (meaning “no date”)

The page or paragraph number—page numbers are preceded with p. for one page, pp. for multiple

pages. Paragraphs are used if there are no page numbers and are preceded with para.

These elements should appear within parentheses and follow the quotation or information being cited.

(author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page or paragraph number)

For Example:

(Collins, Magnolia, & Hyde, 2004, pp. 341-349).

(Phillips, n.d., para. 7).

(“Eating with style,” 1987, p. 116).

References Page Citations

References page citations are grouped on their own page at the end of a paper. The first word or words of

the Reference page citation should match the corresponding first word or words of the in-text citation.

References page citations can take on many forms, however, they do follow a basic structure.

The last name of the author or authors, each followed by their first initial(s)

The year of publication (add the month if available)

The name of the text

If part of a collection (website, anthology, journal, magazine, etc.), the name of that source

The publisher

After this stage, References page citations fluctuate depending on the type of text being cited.

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BASIC CITATION EXAMPLES (References page and in-text citations)

The following list reflects some of the more common citations you will likely use throughout

your education.

Book

Harris, J. (2006). Rewriting: How to do things with texts. Logan, Utah: Utah State

University Press.

(Harris, 2006, p. 24).

Chapter or Section within a Book

Braddock, R., Lloyd-Jones, R., & Schoer, L. (2009). From Research in Written

Composition. In S. Miller (Ed.), The Norton book of composition studies. (pp.

193-215). New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

(Braddock, Lloyd-Jones, & Schoer, 2009, pp. 193-215).

Online Journal Article with doi

Bercovitch, F. B., & Berry, P. M. (2012). Ecological determinates of herd size in the

Thornicroft’s giraffe of Zambia. African Journal of Ecology, 48(4), 962-971. doi:

10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01198.x

(Bercovitch & Berry, 2012, 969-970).

Online Journal Article without doi

Stanczak, S. (2009). Write what you know, and know what you write. Writer, 122(11), 14

(Stanczak, 2009, p. 14).

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Corporate Author or Government Report

National Park Service, National Trails Intermountain Region. (2012). About Challenge

Cost Share FY 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/trte/parkmgmt/

upload/About-CCSP-FY12-SF_SB.pdf

(National Park Service, 2012, para. 4).

Motion Picture

Mark, L. (Producer), & Van Sant. G. (Director). (2000). Finding Forrester [Motion

picture]. United States of America: Columbia Pictures.

(Mark, 2000).

Legal Case

Missouri v. Cuffley, 927 F. Supp. 1248 (E.D. Mo 1996)

(Missouri v. Cuffley, 1996).

Website

USA Today. (2012, June 06). Army to review mental health compensation. American

Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/news/psycport/

PsycPORTArticle.aspx?id=usatoday_2012_06_06_eng-usatoday_news_eng-

usatoday_news_023107_3675750032905271303.xml

(USA Today, 2012).

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Blog

Teicheira, D. (2012, April 26). 6 useful ways proofreading can save your research paper

[Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.grantham.edu/ blog/bid/124655/6-

Useful-Ways-Proofreading-Can-Save-Your-Research-Paper

(Teicheria, 2012)

Citations in the EBSCOhost Database This guide will cover the basic citation styles you will see in EBSCO.

EBSCO citation tool: see the link under the Resources tab within the course.

EBSCO errors: Althought EBSCO has citation tools that you can use to create full sources citations, you

will still need to check your citations against the guide below.

If you spot these errors after using the EBSCO citation tool you will need to revise the citation in your

paper.

Ideas to Remember:

● APA is the only approved documentation style at Grantham University

● The EBSCOhost Database is the preferred research source for many Grantham classes

●Students should include in-text citations and a references page for outside sources used in a

paper, journal, or other writing assignment. APA documentation in discussion forums is also

highly encouraged in all courses and required in many. If you don’t know how this works in

your particular class, ask your instructor.

Some known EBSCO errors are:

Title or author’s name in ALL-CAPS

Titles with capitalization after the first word.

Improper citations for six or more authors.

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What is a doi? Because the URLs of web sites and other web-based/online resources we need to reference can often

change as sites, databases, etc. reorganize/relocate their contents, it is important to provide your readers

with a stable link to the online materials you cite. Some online content providers now provide an

alphanumeric code, known as a DOI (an acronym standing for Digital Object Identifier). If a source you

cite provides a DOI, you should include it in your citation instead of the URL, placing it in the space that

would otherwise be occupied by the URL in the citation in question. However, if the content provider

does not make a DOI available to you should reference the URL for site, database, etc. in question.

In-Text Citation Examples

one author (Oates, 2010)

two authors (Collette & Bradbury, 2009)

three to five authors First citation: (Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011); Subsequent Citations:

(Martinez et al., 2011)

six + authors (Thäder-Voigt et al., 2011)

no author (Federation of European Biochemical Societies, 1967)

References Page Citation Examples

one author Oates, J. (2010). A widow’s story. New Yorker, 86(40), 70-79.

two authors Collette, C. P., & Bradbury, N. (2009). Time, measure, and value in

Chaucer's art and Chaucer's world. Chaucer Review, 43(4), 347-

350.

three to five authors Martinez, C., Kock, N., & Cass, J. (2011). Pain and pleasure in short

paper writing: Factors predicting university students' writing

anxiety and writing self-efficacy. Journal Of Adolescent &

Adult Literacy, 54(5), 351-360. doi:10.1598/JAAL.54.5.5

seven + authors Kimbrell, T., Pyne, J. M., Kunik, M. E., Magruder, K. M., Petersen, N. J.,

Yu, H., & Qureshi, S.U. (2011). The impact of Purple Heart

commendation and PTSD on mortality rates in older veterans.

Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 28(12), 1086-1090.

doi:10.1002/da.20850

no author Federation of European Biochemical Societies (1967). European Journal

of Biochemistry, 1(1), 125-127.

book

Lewis, C.S. (1964). The discarded image: An introduction to medieval

and renaissance literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

magazine / periodical Oates, J. (2010). A widow’s story. New Yorker, 86(40), 70-79.

newspaper Vega, T. (2011, March 17). Paper admits to plagiarism by reporter. New

York Times. p. A3.

27

Attributive Tags / Signal Phrases

In order to help introduce our sources, it is always best to introduce quoted, paraphrased, or

summarized material with an attributive tag (also known as a signal phrase). An attributive tag is

simply an introduction of the author and/or his or her work.

For instance, we could say:

“All ducks like pickles” (Wheelhouse, 2007, p. 27).

But our words would sound more credible were we to say:

According to Arthur Wheelhouse (2007), “All ducks like pickles” (p. 27).

If we can find the authors credentials, we can make this even better (we refer to this as

“qualifying the source”):

According to Pulitzer Prize winning author and naturalist Arthur Wheelhouse (2007),

“All ducks like pickles” (p. 27).

Now we pay attention. There must be something to that duck and pickle connection. After all, if

an award-winning author is talking about it, it must be important, right?

The attribute tag can be used to lend credibility to your quoted source. Therefore, if the goal of

your paper is to argue about a hot political topic, you would want to point out that the author of

the quote you are about to use is a political science professor. If you are discussing a children’s

health topic you would want to note that your quotation is from a pediatrician. Always look at

the fine print that follows your article and check the author’s credentials so you can use them to

your advantage in an argument or claim.

Another goal of the attributive tag is to help readers identify the author of the quotation as they

read it. They will then be able to locate the full source citation in your references, and if

interested, they will have the information they need to find the full text by that particular author.

Basic Formula for Integrating Quotations

Patrick Star (2012) declared, “...”

author’s full name + year + attributive tag

If we qualify our source, we might say:

Marine life expert Patrick Star (2012) stated, “...”

28

If we have already used a quotation from the same author, we only use his or her last name:

Star claimed, “...”

It should be noted that attributive tags are not always at the beginning of a quotation. Sometimes

we need to mix things up.

Beginning of Sentence:

In his 2008 article “Fat Toddlers” Ronald Fry suggests that “There are too many fat

toddlers these days! Parents need to cut back on the amount of sugary snacks and

processed food that they feed their children” (p. 9).

Middle of Sentence:

There are too many fat toddlers these days!” exclaims Ronald Fry in his 2008 article, “Fat

Toddlers” “Parents need to cut back on the amount of sugary snacks and processed food

that they feed their children” (p. 9).

End of Sentence:

“There are too many fat toddlers these days! Parents need to cut back on the amount of

sugary snacks and processed food that they feed their children” suggests Ronald Fry in

his 2008 article, “Fat Toddlers” (p. 9).

Common Attributive Verbs

The following list contains verbs commonly used in signal phrases:

claims

contends

emphasizes

explains

expresses

illustrates

implies

maintains

points out

presents

proposes

disputes

reports

states

suggests

writes

Though we may feel a real connection to our sources, we are never on a first-name basis

with them. We can never say, “Patrick claims . . .;” we have to say, “Star claims . . . .”

29

Block Quotations

In APA style, if you use a quotation that is 40 words or longer, you must format your quotation

according to the following rules:

1 Like all other text in the paper, block quotations are double-spaced

2. Block quotations are set apart from the rest of the text as if they are their own paragraph

3. All lines in block quotations should be indented ½ inch (one tab) from the left margin

(the first line should not be further indented)

4. Citations should not be included in the end punctuation

5. Quotation marks should be removed

For example:

(Goss, 2012)

30

References

Goss, T. P. (2012). A case for clarity. Unpublished Manuscript.

© Grantham University 2012

31

Writing & Documenting in APA A Concise Guide for GU Students

Part Four: Proofreading; APA & the Internet

Tanya A. Klatt, MA; Timothy P. Goss, MA;

and Alexander V. Ames, Ph.D

32

Proofreading for APA style

As we move into the final stage of this writing project, it might be a good idea to go back and

review the entire APA guide to ensure that you have all of the pieces in place for this final step.

Throughout this tutorial, we will discuss some of the key areas you need to look at when

proofreading to make sure your paper meets APA standards.

Checking your Work

This checklist should be used to ensure that your papers and documents are in proper APA style.

Formatting:

● Font used is 12 pt Times New Roman.

● One inch margins on all sides.

● Running head is the title of your paper (up to 50 characters; no longer than five words).

● Running head (abbreviated title) is flush left and in ALL-CAPS.

● Page number is top, flush right, starting on the title page

In-text Citations:

● Do you provide appropriate in-text (i.e. parenthetical) citations for all uses of external

source material?

● Do those in-text (i.e. parenthetical) citations include all of the necessary information (e.g.

author name(s), dates)?

● Do those in-text (i.e. parenthetical) citations precede the final punctuation of the

sentences in which they appear?

Reference Page:

● Is your References page separated from the last page of your paper with a page-break? It

is important that your References page begin at the top of a new page immediately

following the last page of the text of your essay, report, paper, etc. So, you need to insert

a page-break (e.g. see the “insert” menu if using Microsoft Word) after the last line of the

33

text of your paper, rather than using the Return/Enter key, to ensure that your list of

References begins at the top of the following page.

● Is your References page formatted according to the guidelines outlined above (e.g. is the

title References centered)?

Are lines following the first line in each entry, indented appropriately? Hint: the way to

ensure proper indentation is by setting/changing the hanging indent within your

document, rather than by using space or tab key.

Remember to Check Your Paper for Possible Plagiarism:

(Komm, 2012)

34

APA and the Internet

Terms to Know: If you are unfamiliar with these terms please review them in the Glossary.

database

online library

search engine

credible sources

paper mill

message boards

In many of your classes at Grantham, you will be expected to use the EBSCO library database

for your research paper and any other formal papers. Many students will often say, “I prefer to

use Google for my research.” While Google is a fantastic Internet search engine, it is not a

library database. Google will lead you to everything that is out there on the web and while some

of the search results are credible, many are not. Google Books and Google Scholar can be more

useful to academic researchers, but they do not provide academic research with as many full-text

resources as does the University’s official free library research databsase, EBSCO, which is a

collection of scholarly journals, newspapers, and documents that a person might find in an on-

ground university library.

With that being said, indiscussions and in your journal, you might find that you want to use a

source from the Internet. Perhaps you want to share an idea you found at a particular website or

you want to talk about a YouTube Video. This chapter will help you decide which sources to use

and which sources to avoid.

Characteristics of a Credible Website

Identifiable: the site and its content can be positively attributed to a recognizable

publication (e.g. scholarly journal, research database, major newspaper) or institution

(e.g. local, county, state, or federal government agencies); can be attributed to an author

or group of authors (preferable but not essential).

Impartial: while complete impartiality is, perhaps, unattainable, it is important that those

sites you reference in support of your arguments demonstrate as little bias as possible

relative to the question(s) at issue you address in your argument(s).

Substantiated: include primary source data and/or appropriately formatted citations of

relevant primary source material verifiable citations

35

Credible Sites Online Libraries: EBSCO, Internet Public Library

.edu: Grantham University, Purdue Owl, Harvard University, etc.

Newsources & Newspapers: CNN, NPR, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.

.gov: Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; United States Department of

Agriculture; Federal Student Aid Information Center, etc.

online periodicals: New Yorker, Time, U.S. News, etc.

Use with

Extreme

Caution

Professional blogs: Even the most credible of these should never be used as a

primary source. Even as a secondary source, it is important to vet the authors of

such blogs for their credibility concerning the topic in question.

.orgs - avoid political, controversial, or overtly biased organizations.

Wikipedia: this very popular, collaborative, online encyclopedia is a great tool

for acquainting oneself with a wide variety of topics, but, like other encyclopedias,

(e.g. Encyclopedia Britainica) it is a reference work offering cursory information that

is not peer-reviewed. Wikipedia cannot be considered a repository of scholarly work

and should therefore never be used as a source in academic writing.

About.com: similar to Wikipedia in that it is not vetted. Articles are written by paid

contributors. Reliability is questionable.

YouTube: as with Wikipedia, YouTube is not a vetted academic source of

information. In a rare video or two, there may be scholars discussing scholarly

things, but unless you vet the author and the venue, it’s best to avoid this as a source.

Avoid Papermills: consultation of such sites likely constitutes plagiarism.

Tutoring sites: you run the risk of committing an act of academic dishonesty (e.g.

plagiarism) by consulting such sites.

Personal blogs and websites: bloggers and cyber-authors who lack certifiable

credibility on specific topics lack the ability to substantiate your arguments and, thus,

should be avoided.

Q&A sites (e.g. Ask.com, Yahoo Answers): these are watered-down versions of

About.com at best and should, thus, be avoided as they do your arguments no credit

whatsoever.

Online Chatroom/Discussion Board messages: chatrooms and discussion forums

are useful ways to communicate with others interested/invested in particular topics

(e.g. your classmates within the Cybercafe and the other course-based Discussion

Forums). But, messages posted online are not sources of research on which you can

rely in substantiating your arguments.

Freelance article sites (e.g. Helium, Associated Content): these lack sufficient

credibility to support your own arguments.

36

References

Komm, A. (2012). Avoiding plagiarism flow chart. Grantham University, Kansas City, MO.

© Grantham University 2012

37

Glossary of Writing Terms

A

Abstract In APA, abstracts are found directly following the title page and are

typically a 150-200 word summary of the following article or paper.

Academic paper Academic papers are, for the most part, designed with two distinct

purposes in mind: to analyze, interpret, explain, or argue about a topic;

and to demonstrate an intellectual understanding of the course or field

for which it is being written.

Active sentence Active sentences are sentences in which the subject performs the

action.

Active voice Active voice entails the use of a subject-verb construction (active

sentences) throughout the majority of a piece of writing.

Adjective Adjectives provide information about, clarify, or describe nouns,

pronouns, or other adjectives.

Adverb Adverbs do very much the same thing as adjectives except they clarify

and describe verbs.

Agenda The underlying motivation for the creation of a text.

Agreement Consistency in time, point of view, plurality or not, and so on within a

text.

Analysis The process of looking closely and critically at a text to determine what

it means, how it presents its ideas, its effectiveness, and so on.

Anecdote Brief stories or slices-of-life that help to make a point

Annotate To underline or highlight important passages in a text and to make

notes in the margins.

APA style The official writing and documentation style of the American

Psychological Association (APA), which is Grantham University’s

official style of documentation and citation for all courses.

Appeal An appeal is an argument that connects to the readers’ needs, such as

achievement, belonging, or survival.

Appendix The Appendix at the end of a text, report, or dissertation, contains

appendices that provided additional information pertaining to the text.

Application paper An application paper focuses on experiences and qualities that suit the

writer for a specific position or program.

38

Argument Argument involves a course in logical thinking intended to convince

the reader to accept an idea or to take action.

Argumentative paper An argumentative paper presents an argument about a timely, debatable

topic.

Artifact An artifact is an object made or modified by a human culture.

Attributive phrase A group of words that indicates the source of an idea or quotation.

Attributive tag See attributive phrase.

Audience This term literally refers to the listeners or hearers of a speech,

including the intended listeners/hearers, but is commonly used to refer

to the intended reader or readers for a piece of writing.

B

Basic listing A brief, somewhat informal itemizing of main points.

Biased words Words that unfairly or disrespectfully depict individuals of groups.

Bibliography Lists of works that cover a particular subject.

Block quotation A long quotation of 40 words or more. Block quotations are formatted

in a way that sets them apart from the rest of the text by tabbing- in

each line, omitting the quotation marks, and leaving the citation outside

of the end punctuation.

Blogs Online journals (shorthand for “Web log”).

Body language Body language is a communication style that involves the use of

physical cues to indicate a person’s level of comfort, interest,

engagement, etc.

Body paragraph A paragraph comprising, in part, the central portion or body of a paper

or other, similarly structured, document, which is focused on

articulating, developing, and supporting a single point of the larger

argument presented by the author with his/her thesis statement in the

introductory paragraph(s).

Boolean operators Words or symbols used when searching research databases that

describe the relationship between various words or phrases in a search.

39

C

Call numbers A set of numbers used by the Library of Congress that specify the

subject area, topic, and authorship or title of a book, magazine, or other

text.

Camera-eye An approach to writing that involves sharing details as though a camera

lens moving across a subject.

Cause-effect paper A paper that examines the conditions or actions that lead to a specific

outcome.

Chronology Order of events as they have occurred in time. We often refer to

descriptions of events in chronological order.

Citation An agreed-upon notation that gives credit to those who informed the

ideas within a text that did not originate with the text’s author.

Classical argument Until recently, the most popular of argumentative styles. This style,

invented in ancient Greece, involves two individuals arguing opposite

sides of an argument in order to convince an unbiased third person.

Clichés Overused words or phrases that, through time, have lost their meaning.

For example, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” or, “It wasn’t just easy; it

was a piece of cake!”

Climax The most exciting moment in a narrative; the moment at which the

person succeeds, fails, or learns something.

Closed question Questions that can be answered by a simple “yes” or “no”.

Clustering A form of brainstorming by freely recording words and phrases around

a nucleus word.

Coherence Strong connection between sentences in a paragraph; achieved through

transition and repetition.

Collections The materials housed within a library.

Colloquialism Colloquialisms are common words which work well in common

conversation, but are not suitable for academic writing. Words like,

“cool,” “sweet,” “y’all,” and “gonna” are colloquialisms. Often, these

can also be whole phrases like, “I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in

a room full of rocking chairs.”

Comma splice A common error in writing made when the writer combines two

independent clauses together with a comma (and nothing else). (i.e.

“There was no way I was going alone, she said she wouldn’t dream of

letting me out of her sight.”).

Concessions Openly recognizing the validity of opposing viewpoints.

40

Conflict The obstacles or adversaries confronted by people in narratives; person

vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. self, person vs. technology,

person vs. nature, etc.

Conjunction A word that joins two ideas within a sentence. For example: “I love

pizza, and I love tacos.” The conjunction is “and.” Another example

would be: “I would love some pizza, but it gives me heartburn.

Connotation The suggestion made by a word or group of words—the implied

meaning.

Context The set of circumstances in which a statement is made; the text and

other factors that surround a specific statement and are crucial to

understanding it.

Contraction The shortening or abbreviation of a phrase of two or more words into a

single word for the sake of efficiency and/or for use within informal

writing or speech (e.g. do not may be contracted as don’t). While

contractions are often found in informal modes of writing and speech,

they are not appropriate in academic writing.

Controversies Issues about which there are two or more strongly opposing views or

highly debatable issues.

Conventions The standard rules for spelling, punctuation, mechanics, usage,

grammar, and formatting.

Copyright Legal ownership of the text of a document, entitling the owner of the

copyright to determine if/when/how that text may be reproduced.

D

Database An electronic repository of information organized by subject and/or

academic or professional discipline (e.g. scholarly articles).

Debatable topic A topic that is not mere fact, but can be argued from at least two

different angles.

Deductive reasoning Reasoning that works from general principles or ideas; through specific

applications, support, and/or examples; to a conclusion.

Defensible position A claim that is debatable, but can be strongly supported by evidence; a

claim that is neither fact nor an unsupportable opinion.

Denotation A word’s literal meaning.

Dialogue The words spoken by people. In writing, dialogue is set apart by

quotation marks.

Directed writing An exploration tactic using one of a set of thinking moves: describe,

compare, associate, analyze, argue, or apply.

41

Direct quotation A word-for-word statement or passage from an original source. In

writing, quotations are typically set apart by quotation marks and

always cited. See also block quotation)

Documentation Crediting sources of information, through in-text citations or references

and a list of works cited or references, generally on a page or pages

located at the end of a paper.

DOI A Digital Object Identifier is an alphanumeric code that online content

providers (e.g. databases, scholarly journals) provide as an alternative

to the actual URL of a document so that researchers may cite those

online documents using a static identifier within their bibliographic

citations.

Drafting Writing sentences and paragraphs to create an initial draft of a paper—

should contain a beginning, a middle, and an end.

E

EBSCO The online research database provided to students and faculty by

Grantham University for the purposes of conducting academic research

necessary for courses of study offered by the University. This database

provides bibliographic citations and, in many cases, full texts of articles

originally published in peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.

Editing Refining a draft in terms of word choice and sentence style and

checking it for conventions.

Ellipsis A set of three periods with one space preceding and following each

period; a punctuation mark that indicates a deletion of material.

Paper The process of trying or testing (from the French verb, paperer,

translated as to try); a written document that explores a particular

question or issue, typically offering a thesis and supporting argument in

response.

Ethos An argumentative strategy designed to build, and then use the

audience’s sense of trust and respect for the arguer to promote an idea.

Etymology The origin of a word.

Extended definition A type of analytical writing that explores the meaning of a specific

term, providing denotation, connotation, and a variety of perspectives

on the term.

Extreme claims Claims that include words (all, best, never, worst) that are overly

positive or negative.

42

F

Facts Statements that can be checked for accuracy through empirical

evidence.

Fair use Rules governing the use of small (not large) portions of a text for non-

commercial purposes.

Fake writing voice A writing voice that sounds overly academic, bland, or unnatural.

Feasible Do-able; reasonable—given time, budgets, resources, and

consequences.

Field research An on-site scientific study conducted for the purpose of gathering raw

data.

First draft The initial writing in which the writing connects facts and details about

the topic.

First person A confessional or conversational style of writing that connects the

thoughts of the writer directly to the reader through the use of the

pronouns: I, me, we, us and so on. Good for some papers, but in

general, is not considered appropriate for academic writing. First

person is frowned upon when writing APA Style research papers.

Flush The justification of the text in a paper (meaning to which margin of the

page the text lines up). In APA, with the exception of page numbers,

the title of the paper, the title-block, certain level titles, block

quotations, the abstract title, and the References page title-- all text

should be justified flush left. Page numbers are placed flush right, and

all of the other exceptions are center justified.

Focus The specific part of the subject to be covered in a piece of writing.

Focused free-writing A form of free writing that is approached from a specific angle or as a

quick draft of a paper.

Forecasting Also known as foreshadowing, this is a writing technique that shows a

preview of what the reader can expect throughout the rest of a

document. In academic writing, forecasting usually happens within the

thesis statement or within the transitions between paragraphs or

sections.

Foreshadowing (see forecasting)

Form The type of writing; for example, report, letter, proposal, editorial,

paper, story, or poem.

Formal English Carefully worded language suitable for most academic writing.

Formatting The visual organization of a document, including, but not limited to,

margins, font, font size, font color, textual justification, line spacing,

etc.

43

Formulaic writing Writing that stiffly adheres to a prescribed format and, because of that,

fails to make an impact.

Forwarding The process of interacting with an idea through writing. When we are

forwarding, we are changing the idea, extending it, reshaping it, and

filtering it through our consciousness in order to send the new, altered

version out into the world.

Fragment An incomplete sentence (missing a verb or a subject).

Free-writing A form of non-stop writing used during the early stages of the writing

process to collect thoughts and ideas.

G

Glossary A list of important words and terms.

Graphic organizer A chart or diagram used to arrange the main points and essential details

of a paper.

H

Hanging indent A hanging indent is the indention of the first line of a paragraph . Using

the tab-key is generally the easiest way to create a hanging indent, but

one can always use 12 spaces on the space bar.

Hyperlinks Specially formatted text that enables readers to click to another spot on

the Internet.

I

Implications Natural results, direct and indirect, whether good or bad.

Inductive reasoning Reasoning that works from particular details toward general

conclusions.

In-text citation Like citation, an in-text citation is an agreed-upon notation that gives

credit to those who informed the ideas within a text that did not

originate with the text’s author. In APA in-text citations are required in

44

brief form within the body of the text, and are fully-cited on the

References page(s).

Informal English Language characterized by a more relaxed, personal tone suitable for

personal writing.

Intensity A writer’s level of concern for the topic as indicated by the writing

voice.

J

Jargon Technical terms not familiar to the general reader.

Journal A notebook used regularly for personal writing.

Journals Publications providing specialized scholarly information for a narrowly

focused audient. Journals may be published monthly, bi-monthly,

quarterly, etc. Most journals are now also digitized. Many can be found

in Grantham library’s free database. Some online journals require a

subscription fee to access.

L

Level of language The level of language a writer uses—informal, semi-formal, or formal.

Line diagram A graphic organizer used to arrange ideas for expository writing.

Logical fallacies Logical fallacies are false arguments based on fuzzy, dishonest, or

incomplete thinking.

Logos An argumentative strategy designed to appeal to an audience’s logic.

Loose sentence A sentence that provides a base clause near the beginning, followed by

explanatory phrases and clauses.

M

Main claim A debatable statement, the thesis or key point in an argument.

Medium The way that writing is delivered; for example, in a printed publication

or online.

Metaphor A comparison that equates two dissimilar things without using like or

as; saying that one thing is another.

45

Mnemonics Memory techniques in which new ideas are associated with more

recognizable or memorable words, images, or ideas.

Modifiers Words that limit or describe other words or groups of words; adjectives

or adverbs.

N

Nominal A noun form of a verb such as description, instructions, confirmation.

Noun A part of speech that stands for a person, place, thing, or idea.

Nucleus word The central theme in a cluster, connecting all other ideas.

O

Observation Noting information received in person through the senses.

Omit To leave out.

Open-ended question A question that requires an elaborate answer.

Opinions Personally held attitudes or beliefs.

Options Choices provided with an assignment.

Order of importance A pattern of organization often used in persuasive writing in which the

writer begins or ends with the most convincing argument.

Order of location Organizing details according to their position; progressing from near to

far, inside to outside, and so on.

Organizing pattern The way that details are arranged in writing; for example, chronological

order or cause/effect order.

Original document A record that relates directly to an event, issue, object, or a

phenomenon.

Orphan A single line of a new paragraph at the bottom of a page.

Overall design The pattern the writing takes to move deas along—time order,

compare-contrast, and so on.

OWLs Online writing labs where individuals can get answers to their writing

questions.

46

P

Page design The elements (typography, spacing, graphics) that create the look of a

paper; readability is the focus of design for academic writing.

Paper mill A typically commercial organization, usually represented online

through a web site, offering academic-style papers or papers, usually

for a fee, to would-be plagiarizers.

Parallelism Repeating phrases or sentence structures to show the relationship

between ideas.

Paraphrase To discuss an entire document in one’s own words.

Passive sentence Sentences in which the subject is acted upon.

Passive voice A subject-verb construction in which the subject is acted upon, not

performing the action as it would be in the active voice.

Pathos An argumentative strategy designed to appeal to an audience’s

emotions.

PDF Portable document file; a file form that preserves a document according

to its exact appearance and is readable through Adobe software.

Periodicals Publications (journals, magazines, newsletters) or broadcasts produced

at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly).

Personal narrative Writing about a memorable experience; often includes personal

reflection and thoughts.

Pivotal points Moments in which a significant change occurs; literally a point in

which a person changes direction.

Plagiarism The act of presenting someone else’s work as one’s own, whether

intentionally or unintentionally.

Planning The thinking and organizing that go into establishing a direction and

structure for writing.

Platitudes Stale or unoriginal thoughts.

Point of view The perspective from which the writer approaches the writing,

including first-person, second-person, or third-person point of view.

Portfolio A collection of selected work by a group or author.

Preposition A word that shows a where/when relationship with the other words in

the sentence or clause. Prepositions include words such as up, in,

through, over, by, from, and so on.

Primary sources Original sources that provide first-hand information about a

subject.

47

Pronoun A word that replaces a noun in a sentence to help alleviate

redundancy. Pronouns include words such as he, she, they, we, it, them,

his, her, and so on.

Proofread The act of checking a document for errors before submitting it.

Public domain Materials provided by the government provided as a part of the “copy

left” movement, or, generally speaking, documents over seventy-five

years old.

Publish The act of sharing a completed work with another.

Purpose The goal of a piece of writing; for example, to inform, to convince, to

analyze, to persuade.

Q

Qualifiers Words or phrases that limit or refine a claim, making it more

reasonable.

Quotation A word-for-word statement or passage from an original source. In

writing, quotations are always set apart and cited.

R

Rapport Personal connection, trust, and teamwork.

Rebuttal A tactful argument aimed at weakening the opposing point of view.

Redirect To restate the main claim or argument.

Redundancy Words used together that mean nearly the same thing. Also, the

repetitive use of a word or phrase when that word or phrase could be

replaced with another.

Redundancy Words used together that mean nearly the same thing. Also, the

repetitive use of a word or phrase when that word or phrase could be

replaced with another.

References Also known as sources, references are made up of information that has

been gathered from external works in order to provide evidence toward

a claims or to draw associations between authors within a paper.

References can be journal articles, books, information on websites,

magazines, videos, interviews or other documents. Most college

writing uses sources, but these references are generally limited to

specific forms and types by the course and/or instructor. APA insists

that references be scholarly in nature and generally asks that they be

48

peer reviewed. References should always be cited both in the body of

text and in the References page .

Reference listing A citation of a document that has been quoted, paraphrased, or

summarized within a paper and appears in the References page.

References page In APA, the References page is the last page of a paper. This page

includes an alphabetical listing of all the sources/references quoted,

summarized, and/or paraphrased within the paper. Source/reference

listings are expected to follow the APA citation style appropriate for

the particular type of source they refer to. Each listing is treated as an

individual, but reversed paragraph, with, the first line flush with the left

margin of the paper, and with each additional line of the

source/reference listing tabbed-in.

Refute To prove an idea or argument false, illogical, or undesirable.

Repetition Repeating words or synonyms where necessary to remind the reader of

what has already been said.

Research paper A fairly long paper, complete with a thesis statement, supporting

evidence, integrated resources, and careful documentation.

Restrictions Limitations of choice within an assignment.

Résumé A brief document that outlines a person’s employment objectives and

highlights the person’s job skills, experience, and education.

Revising Improving and/or redirecting a draft through large-scale changes such

as adding, deleting, rearranging, and reworking.

Rhetoric The art of using language effectively.

Running head Running heads (aka running titles) are brief versions of the title that

appear in the top, left of each page, and are presented in all capital

letters. Running heads should be no more than 50 characters in length,

and no more than five words long. Due to their brevity, running heads

are often abbreviated versions of the title of the paper. On the title

page, the words Running head: precede the title (not in italics or in all

capital letters). The remaining pages of the paper include only the

abbreviated title without the additional wording.

S

Search engine An online research tool (e.g. Google, Yahoo) through which

researchers may search the internet for webpages, documents, etc.

Secondary source Sources that are at least once removed from the original source; sources

that provide second-hand information.

Second person The perspective or voice of direct address, in which the author or

speaker addresses the reader or hearer using a second-person pronoun

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(i.e. you), as if in conversation. Second person is useful when giving

individual direction or in some technical writing. But, due to its casual,

familiar, and often accusatory tone, it is highly discouraged in

academic writing.

Sensory details Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, temperatures and other details

connected to the five senses—showing rather than telling about the

subject.

Sentence combining The act of combining ideas in sentences to show relationships and to

make connections.

Sentence expanding The act of extending basic ideas with different types of phrases and

clauses.

Sentence outline A more formal method of arrangement in which a writer states each

main point and essential detail as a complete sentence.

Sentence variety The varying of beginnings, lengths, and types of sentences within a

paper in order to make the writing interesting to the reader.

Sexist language Language that, unintentionally or not, accounts for only one gender

despite being directed toward a mixed audience.

Showcase portfolio A collection of appropriate, finished pieces of writing.

Slang Words considered to lie outside of the standard English language

because they are faddish, familiar to a few people, and may be

insulting.

Slanted question Questions that presuppose a specific answer.

Sources Also known as a references, sources are made up of information that

has been consulted to provide evidence within a paper. Sources can be

journal articles, books, information on websites, magazines, videos,

interviews or other documents. Most college writing uses sources, but

these sources are generally limited to specific forms and types by the

course and/or instructor. APA insists that sources be scholarly in

nature and generally asks that they be peer reviewed. Sources should

always be cited both in the body of text and in the References page.

Spatial organization A pattern of organization in which the writer logically orders

descriptive details from far to near, left to right, top to bottom, and so

on. Also see camera-eye.

Style The variety, originality, and clarity of a piece of writing.

Subject The general area covered by a piece of writing.

Summary Condensed representation, in one’s own words rather than through

quotation, of the main points of a passage. Summary is designed to

extract the meaning of a piece of work in a form that essentializes the

original author’s words.

Surface change The edited (corrected) words, phrases, and sentences in a piece of

writing.

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Surface error A problem in word choice, grammar, mechanics, usage, etc. that do

little to harm the transference of meaning, but appear untidy and

unprofessional.

T

Tab A series of 12 spaces placed at the beginning of a paragraph. Can more

easily be accomplished by striking the “Tab” key.

Tactful Being sensitive to the feelings of others; avoiding unnecessary offense.

Taxonomy A system of classification of items—plants, animals, ideas, movements,

etc.

Tertiary source Sources that provide third-hand information, such as wikis; though

these sources are a good place to begin to formulate ideas, using them

as evidence to drive an academic paper is highly discouraged at the

college-level.

Thesis Statement A sentence or group of sentences that sum up the central idea of a piece

of writing; thesis statements serve as a map to the body of a paper.

Third person The perspective or voice of indirect observation, in which the author or

speaker uses third person pronouns (e.g. he, she, they) to describe the

actions and interactions of persons with things and in places at which

the author or speaker is/was not present. In fiction, this is the voice of

the semi-omniscient or omniscient narrator.

Thought details Impressions, emotions, predictions, and reflections; details that reveal

perceptions rather than sensations.

Title page The page on which, in the APA style, the title of the paper, the name of

the author(s), and the name of the organization are identified. Title

pages are the first page of an APA style paper.

Title block The identifying information found on the title page of an APA style

paper. Title blocks are center-justified, and include, in descending

order, the title of the paper, the name of its author, and the organization

the paper is being written for (for papers written in college, this

organization is almost always the name of the school).

Tone The overall feeling or effect created by a writer’s thoughts and his or

her choice of words.

Topic outline A less formal method of arrangement in which the writer states each

main point and essential detail as a word of a phrase.

Transition Words or phrases that help tie ideas together.

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U

Uninspiring draft A draft in which the writer fails to connect with his or her readers or

makes a lasting impression.

Unity Oneness achieved in a paragraph through a strong focus on a single,

central idea.

V

Verb An action word.

Vivid verb Specific action verbs, such as lunge, trudge, etc. that help to create

clear images.

Voice The tone of the writing, often affected by the personality of the writer.

W

Widow A single word of a short line carried over to the top of the next page.

Working thesis A preliminary answer to a main research question; the focus of one’s

research.

Worn-out topic A paper that is dull or unoriginal because the topic has been

overworked. Abortion, Legalizing Marijuana, Global Warming, and

Lowering the Drinking Age are all examples of worn-out topics.

Writing portfolio A selected group of writings by a single author.

Writing process The steps that a writer follows to develop a thoughtful and thorough

piece of writing.

© Grantham University 2012